In a historic breakthrough that brings science fiction closer to scientific reality, researchers in the United States have achieved quantum teleportation of light over more than 30 kilometers of live fiber optic internet cable. This marks the first time quantum information has been successfully transmitted through infrastructure carrying actual internet traffic a feat once considered impossible.
Led by computing engineer Prem Kumar of Northwestern University, the study demonstrated how a quantum state the delicate, ghost-like condition in which particles exist in multiple states at once could be safely transported amid the digital chaos of everyday internet use. The achievement is expected to revolutionize quantum computing, encryption, and communication.
Prem Kumar said “This is incredibly exciting because nobody thought it was possible & our work shows a path towards next-generation quantum and classical networks sharing a unified fiber optic infrastructure.”
Unlike science fiction teleportation that transports physical matter, quantum teleportation involves transferring the state of a particle not the particle itself from one location to another. Using entanglement, researchers destroy the original state and replicate it in a new location, with the two locations linked by a single classical signal.
The major challenge has always been decoherence the rapid degradation of quantum states due to interference from surrounding particles and electromagnetic noise. Preserving the fragile quantum state across busy internet cables seemed nearly unthinkable.
But by carefully analyzing how light scatters through optical fibers, Kumar’s team pinpointed a frequency band where disruption is minimal. “We found we could perform quantum communication without interference from the classical channels that are simultaneously present,” Kumar explained.
While earlier attempts had only succeeded in controlled simulations, this experiment was conducted on real internet infrastructure carrying 400 gigabit-per-second data traffic — including banking, streaming, and web traffic.
Published in the journal Optica, the findings suggest that building entirely new infrastructure for quantum communication may not be necessary. If quantum data can share space with traditional data streams by simply choosing the right wavelengths, the rollout of quantum internet could be faster and more cost-effective than imagined.
This breakthrough signals a future where quantum computing and communication could be integrated seamlessly into existing networks, boosting data security, enabling powerful distributed computing, and creating a new era of technological possibility.
The quantum internet is no longer just theoretical — it’s on the move.